The Road to Thala
21/2/43
After routing the Americans at Kasserine Pass Rommel suddenly got cold feet. Presented with two routes of advance he uncharacteristically paused, fearing an Allied counter attack. After some deliberation he chose to attack up both roads to see where the Allies were weakest. He sent Kampfgruppe 10 Panzer Division to the North. The attack was lead by 86 Schutzen Regiment which started to deal with the remnants of the US 26th Infantry Regiment. As the Americans were dispersed 7 Panzer Regiment passed through the Schutzen to attach up the road to Thala. Waiting for them were the combined forces of 17/21 lancers and 2 Lothians, each much depleted by breakdowns and casualties. The British were desperate to delay the German advance to allow for the the consolidation of the defences around Thala. The scenario depicts the German armoured thrust north up the road to Thala
Note I've taken some liberties with both the time and ground scale. The ground scale has been condenses to allow the battlefield to fit on a reasonable sized table. To compensate the number of turns has been reduced
Map and Order of Battle
British Deployment
All British forces start on table, in the deployment zone indicated by the pink dashed lines
The Brigade HQ and the 10th RB may start in the deployment zone of either tank regiment
German Deployment
7 Panzer Regiment enters the table on turn 1 anywhere along edge FD
90 PzJgr Abt enters the table on turn 2 anywhere along edge FD
KG Stab, Stab Armeegruppe Afrika & I Abt 86 Schutzen enter turn 4 down road E in convoy. Each stand after the first reduces its move by 3" for every stand that went before
Terrain
The table is 4ft x 12ft if playing 1" = 50m
The open ground is bare, soggy, earthen fields or stony desert, bereft of cover
The red lines are roads, the main road BE is tarmac the others are dirt tracks
Blue lines are rocky streams, lined with scrub. The streams require tracked (inc half tracked) a BMA to cross. Wheeled vehicles and man handled guns are prohibited. The scrub breaks LOS, except when stands are adjacent and gives light (+1) cover. Note any stand touching a ridgeline can see over the scrub
Brown dotted lines are ridgelines. These give hull down positions to AFV stands touching them vs. all fire crossing the ridge. Stands touching the ridges can see over the scrub lines along the streams
The green areas are open, but rugged woods. Foot stands move at half speed within. Track and half tracked stands move at quarter sped. Wheeled vehicles and man-handled guns are prohibited
Special Rules
The game is 14 turns long, with a 50% chance of a 15th turn rolled at the end of turn 14.
Darkness
Turn 12 is twilight, max visibility drops to 12"
Turn 13+ is night max visibility is 4". The following night rules are in effect (pg 93): 39.1.2 (2nd paragraph only); 39.1.4 and 39.1.7. Both sides made much use of flares. Once stands are within 4" of an enemy they are assumed to be illuminated and may be shot at by other stands within LOS without penalty
Inspirational Leadership
Both Rommel and Dunphie are inspirational leaders, If they are adjacent to a battalion-level HQ during the morale phase all stands in the battalion get a +1 morale bonus, as long as the HQ and Rommel / Dunphie are both in perfect morale (i.e. not pinned or worse). Roll HQ morale before any of the line companies.
Digging in
The ground stony so digging in is impossible. There are not enough rocks for sangars
2/5th Leicesters and 12th RHA
May not move further south east than their initial deployment zones
Victory Conditions
To win the Germans must ensure that there is no Allied armour or AT guns (inc 25pdr) within 12" of road BE in good morale AND get three panzers, in good morale, off table edge AC. If they only make one of the conditions the game is a draw otherwise it is a British victory
References
10 Panzer Division Gliderung: http://www.yeide.net/Public/10thPanzerDivisionOOB.pdf
An Army at Dawn, Rick Atkinson
British Armies in WW2 an Organisational History, Vol 1. David Hughes et al
DCM citation for Sergeant French: http://www.royalleicestershireregiment.org.uk/_ui/citations/57%20French%20MM%20citation%2022%20Apr%2043%201of2.pdf
Kasserine Staff Ride: http://www.history.army.mil/books/Staff-Rides/kasserine/kasserine.htm
Nick Force: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickforce
Northwest Africa: Seizing the Initiative In the West, George F. Howe: http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-MTO-NWA/USA-MTO-NWA-24.html
Panzertruppen Vol 2, T Jentz
Prepare to Move: with the 6th Armoured Division in Africa and Italy, Frank Beckett
Together We Stand: Turning the Tide in the West : North Africa, 1942-1943, James Holland: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=XD5hocYBSsYC&lpg=PA565&ots=9VQmh15qUE&dq=%2226th%20armoured%20brigade%22%20thala&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false